I was going to write a whole big thing about my problem with all of this, but the recapper from WON.com pretty much summed it up best:

Let’s go through the storyline “progression.” Four weeks ago, Bret Hart was named GM. The NXT guys were feuding with each other. Three weeks ago, Vince McMahon came on Raw to point out he hired Bret as GM and implied he had some sort of plan for Bret.

Two weeks ago, the NXT guys joined together to attack WWE personnel. Last week, Wade Barrett explained they were angry about their treatment by WWE management and wanted WWE contracts and better treatment. Bret refused and fired Barrett, so they attacked Bret in a car and demanded his response on Sunday.

Sunday Bret doesn’t show up and the NXT guys attack again. Monday Vince fires Bret for firing Barrett and letting the NXT guys mess with the show again. The NXT guys are hired by Vince’s anonymous new GM. Vince later announces he was behind the NXT actions and then the NXT guys turn on him.

Maybe WWE has some really good explanation for all these events. But if they do, it’s well over my head. This all makes no sense to me.

If the NXT guys were conspiring together from the beginning, why were they arguing, bickering and ridiculing each other every week on the show?

Why would the NXT guys attack Raw to get WWE contracts if Vince McMahon was behind them in the first place and could have just given them contracts from the beginning?

Why would Vince McMahon order the NXT guys to attack his own announcers and security? Does he hate Justin Roberts?

Why did Vince McMahon make Bret Hart the general manager and give him control for a few weeks rather than just having his guys just attack him in the first place?

Why would Vince fire Bret Hart for letting the NXT guys run wild if that’s what he wanted in the first place?

If Vince was the NXT benefactor and all they wanted was WWE contracts, why would they attack Vince and jeopardize those contracts?

It doesn’t come across like WWE is telling a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. It comes across like they’re just making everything up as they go, devising a “surprising” scenario each week and then trying to connect it as best as they can to what happened before. That’s not how you effectively book a wrestling show. That’s not how you effectively write television. That’s not how you effectively tell any sort of story. It’s crappy writing predicated on the audience being too stupid to notice or too accustomed to no logic in wrestling to care.

People seem to really want this NXT thing to work because it’s different and they want to like the current product. But I’m sorry, shoddy writing is shoddy writing, and drastically lowering our standards for wrestling as compared to any other form of entertainment isn’t the answer.

Kevin Kelly: "Mr. Austin, would you like to comment on Wade Keller's Take that endorsing the XFL hurts your anti-authority character?"

Steve Austin: "Oh shit, he actually said that? I thought the boys in the back were ribbing me!"

Kelly: "No, he really said that. Did they tell you the part about you sitting in the stands, looking all skeptical?"

When I think of Nexus, I think Star Trek Generations where its a place of joy and wonder or Justin's speech to Captain John Sheridan before Sheridan nukes Z'Ha'Dum. Regardless, I don't think the name works mainly due to me being a dork, but that could be my own hang up. As for the show, I caught Miz's promo on Orton. Miz's shoot promos have become the highlight of the show for me, but I am not sure the point was of having Miz face off against Orton only for Edge to interfere. I do like Jericho winning since it hopefully continues their feud since losing streaks tend to lead to unemployment in the WWE.

Nexus turning on Vince is an act of brilliance since Vince would be a top candidate to be the leader of the faction. I am a little pissed that Bret didn't get more of a stay as GM, but I don't think we have seen the last of him and if we do then good. A faction like Nexus needs to take out non-wrestling people long term like 6 months or so. My problem with the original beatdown is that almost everyone was alive and well for the next shooting day. Those people are red shirts in the WWE universe, they should not be seen for a while after that type of beating. Hopefully this will keep Vince off of TV for awhile, but I doubt it. As for who the new GM is, I am thinking its either Cole or HHH. Cole's heel turn has been cemented well enough, it would be interesting and HHH is a better heel then face. Also, there was a rumor, his injury is worse then thought and his program with Edge for SummerSlam is off. So, it would give him something to do when his movie stops shooting. It may also pave the way for Rock to return to help Cena/Harts/Bourne and others fight off Nexus at SummerSlam. Then turn Cena or Rock heel heading into Mania. Of course, most of this is just rumor and speculation something that has been missing from WWE boards for awhile.

Originally posted by DirtyMikeSeaverI was going to write a whole big thing about my problem with all of this, but the recapper from WON.com pretty much summed it up best:

Let’s go through the storyline “progression.” Four weeks ago, Bret Hart was named GM. The NXT guys were feuding with each other. Three weeks ago, Vince McMahon came on Raw to point out he hired Bret as GM and implied he had some sort of plan for Bret.

Two weeks ago, the NXT guys joined together to attack WWE personnel. Last week, Wade Barrett explained they were angry about their treatment by WWE management and wanted WWE contracts and better treatment. Bret refused and fired Barrett, so they attacked Bret in a car and demanded his response on Sunday.

Sunday Bret doesn’t show up and the NXT guys attack again. Monday Vince fires Bret for firing Barrett and letting the NXT guys mess with the show again. The NXT guys are hired by Vince’s anonymous new GM. Vince later announces he was behind the NXT actions and then the NXT guys turn on him.

Maybe WWE has some really good explanation for all these events. But if they do, it’s well over my head. This all makes no sense to me.

If the NXT guys were conspiring together from the beginning, why were they arguing, bickering and ridiculing each other every week on the show?

Why would the NXT guys attack Raw to get WWE contracts if Vince McMahon was behind them in the first place and could have just given them contracts from the beginning?

Why would Vince McMahon order the NXT guys to attack his own announcers and security? Does he hate Justin Roberts?

Why did Vince McMahon make Bret Hart the general manager and give him control for a few weeks rather than just having his guys just attack him in the first place?

Why would Vince fire Bret Hart for letting the NXT guys run wild if that’s what he wanted in the first place?

If Vince was the NXT benefactor and all they wanted was WWE contracts, why would they attack Vince and jeopardize those contracts?

It doesn’t come across like WWE is telling a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. It comes across like they’re just making everything up as they go, devising a “surprising” scenario each week and then trying to connect it as best as they can to what happened before. That’s not how you effectively book a wrestling show. That’s not how you effectively write television. That’s not how you effectively tell any sort of story. It’s crappy writing predicated on the audience being too stupid to notice or too accustomed to no logic in wrestling to care.

People seem to really want this NXT thing to work because it’s different and they want to like the current product. But I’m sorry, shoddy writing is shoddy writing, and drastically lowering our standards for wrestling as compared to any other form of entertainment isn’t the answer.

I think you took Vince's speech to be more than it is. He said he was "partially" responsible for things. I took that as a lame "I'm the owner and started NXT and brought all you guys on." I took it as him trying to suck up and curry favor, not as a revelation of being the brainchild. And really, given their talks about "WWE management," I expected a beatdown from the start. He *is* WWE management.

As for why the NXT contestants were arguing, bickering, etc., during the show, they covered that too. They said they agreed to go out and "have fun," but at the end they'd stand together. After all, it's still a competition. When I play softball or volleyball with a group of friends, we still bicker and trash talk. Then we go get a beer.

I don't know what changed between now and his last title run.Maybe it's the fact that I actually have had a chance to get to know who the guy is and hear him cut a promo or two.

It seems Cena was out of it during the match and barely got any offense. Aren't you supposed to go back and forth with your opponent before you get so tired you can barely kick out?It was like watching a Randy Savage match.

My biggest beef with NXT is the promo time. Have one guy do the talking. We don't need to hear from all seven every time they come out.

Originally posted by geemoney Young said when he was on NXT, people used to call him the black John Cena. Really?

"All RAW is these days is a cheap version of Saturday Night Live, so if you wanna tune in to watch the amazing star power of Al Sharpton and Nancy O'Dell, go ahead! Who's gonna host next week, Big Bird? Wow, that's must-see TV!" - John Morrison (10/16/09 Smackdown!)

I like the theory that they have no idea who the GM is, and it's going to be HHH if they can't sign some cool free agent. (Where is this The Rock talk coming from? He will never be in a long term role in this company again.)

Mania, Taker's streak on the line. Cena has Taker up, he is going for the pin to end the streak: 1,2 Michael Cole gets up and announces he has received an email: Amazon has sent a list of books he might be interested in. Match then continues, Taker wins.

Originally posted by redsoxnationMania, Taker's streak on the line. Cena has Taker up, he is going for the pin to end the streak: 1,2 Michael Cole gets up and announces he has received an email: Amazon has sent a list of books he might be interested in. Match then continues, Taker wins.

Boy the way Cena shrugged off the title loss and was telling his usual lame ass jokes in the opening segment shows how little the World title means these days. It's like Eh I lost it I'll get it back in a month and that probably is the case with the how much the title changes hands these days.

Originally posted by dwatersMy biggest beef with NXT is the promo time. Have one guy do the talking. We don't need to hear from all seven every time they come out.

Oh, you mean the ONE time it's happened so far (last night)? Every other time (which is ONE other time as the NXT Nexus only took the mic to explain their actions for the first time LAST WEEK) Barrett has done the key promo work, with some backup from Otunga.

It's important to get each member of the Nexus some promo time periodically so they're not just a bunch of faces without personalities standing around the ring. I'm not advocating all seven cutting a combined promo every week but they do have to get each of those characters over (one would hope.)

Originally posted by John OrquiolaOh, you mean the ONE time it's happened so far (last night)? Every other time (which is ONE other time as the NXT Nexus only took the mic to explain their actions for the first time LAST WEEK) Barrett has done the key promo work, with some backup from Otunga.

Actually, last week each member was given a brief moment to (refuse to) apologize. Granted, most of them got a sentence or less but it still qualifies as hearing from all seven guys.

And I'm surprised nobody has thrown out Jim Ross or Joey Styles as potential GMs. Not that I think it will be either one of them but I'm surprised no one else has argued the case for them. (Styles could actually work quite well in the role.)

Originally posted by dwatersMy biggest beef with NXT is the promo time. Have one guy do the talking. We don't need to hear from all seven every time they come out.

Oh, you mean the ONE time it's happened so far (last night)? Every other time (which is ONE other time as the NXT Nexus only took the mic to explain their actions for the first time LAST WEEK) Barrett has done the key promo work, with some backup from Otunga.

It's important to get each member of the Nexus some promo time periodically so they're not just a bunch of faces without personalities standing around the ring. I'm not advocating all seven cutting a combined promo every week but they do have to get each of those characters over (one would hope.)

Did anyone notice that the little British guy in NXT was so nervous, his hand holding the mic was literally shaking? The WWE changed camera direction a few times... I suspect it was related to the shaking. Or maybe (likely?) I don't know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, trouble with NXT is that they have no MISSION. They're there and angry and stuff... but what's their goal? To destroy WCW and make Tony Schiavone cry? What? At least with the NWO, you knew WHY they invaded. Helped you invest in the drama.

Hopefully the mystery GM will tie together that loose end. Or not.

Anyhoo, I'm realy surprised VKM is still appearing on-camera. If the McMahon family is really gonna pour $40 million (or more?) into a senate bid, trust me on this: There ain't a political consultant on planet earth who'd approve of the senate candidate's spouse rolling around in a pro wrestling ring on national TV. Instead, the strategy would be to either keep VKM completely off TV until after the election -- or re-brand him as a business expert by booking him on biz talk-shows, have him write GOP-friendly biz-related op-eds, etc. But the whole wrassling thang is a no-no. And not that Ann Coulter is a kingmaker, but it's worth noting that she used her last column to rally the GOP base against Linda McMahon 'cause of the pro wrestling stigma.

Just something to keep your eyes on. I mean, if I'm gonna spend $40M of my personal wealth on a high-risk political campaign, I'd certainly do ALL I can to maximize the probability of it succeeding.

Originally posted by dwatersMy biggest beef with NXT is the promo time. Have one guy do the talking. We don't need to hear from all seven every time they come out.

Oh, you mean the ONE time it's happened so far (last night)? Every other time (which is ONE other time as the NXT Nexus only took the mic to explain their actions for the first time LAST WEEK) Barrett has done the key promo work, with some backup from Otunga.

It's important to get each member of the Nexus some promo time periodically so they're not just a bunch of faces without personalities standing around the ring. I'm not advocating all seven cutting a combined promo every week but they do have to get each of those characters over (one would hope.)

Did anyone notice that the little British guy in NXT was so nervous, his hand holding the mic was literally shaking? The WWE changed camera direction a few times... I suspect it was related to the shaking. Or maybe (likely?) I don't know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, trouble with NXT is that they have no MISSION. They're there and angry and stuff... but what's their goal? To destroy WCW and make Tony Schiavone cry? What? At least with the NWO, you knew WHY they invaded. Helped you invest in the drama.

Hopefully the mystery GM will tie together that loose end. Or not.

Anyhoo, I'm realy surprised VKM is still appearing on-camera. If the McMahon family is really gonna pour $40 million (or more?) into a senate bid, trust me on this: There ain't a political consultant on planet earth who'd approve of the senate candidate's spouse rolling around in a pro wrestling ring on national TV. Instead, the strategy would be to either keep VKM completely off TV until after the election -- or re-brand him as a business expert by booking him on biz talk-shows, have him write GOP-friendly biz-related op-eds, etc. But the whole wrassling thang is a no-no. And not that Ann Coulter is a kingmaker, but it's worth noting that she used her last column to rally the GOP base against Linda McMahon 'cause of the pro wrestling stigma.

Just something to keep your eyes on. I mean, if I'm gonna spend $40M of my personal wealth on a high-risk political campaign, I'd certainly do ALL I can to maximize the probability of it succeeding.

Originally posted by rv581Did anyone notice that the little British guy in NXT was so nervous, his hand holding the mic was literally shaking? The WWE changed camera direction a few times... I suspect it was related to the shaking. Or maybe (likely?) I don't know what I'm talking about.

That 'little British guy' is from Africa.

Anyway, trouble with NXT is that they have no MISSION. They're there and angry and stuff... but what's their goal? To destroy WCW and make Tony Schiavone cry? What? At least with the NWO, you knew WHY they invaded. Helped you invest in the drama.

As was plainly stated last night, their goal was to get the entire group WWE contracts. They've accomplished that but now they have John Cena and Randy Orton targeting them en masse, so it would be pretty stupid to break the group up when they can take them out as a unit.

There ain't a political consultant on planet earth who'd approve of the senate candidate's spouse rolling around in a pro wrestling ring on national TV.

Did You Know: Every election, over 50% of political consultants lose. Also, there's the fact that the beat down could very likely explain McMahon's absence from television for an extended period, whereas if he just stayed off of TV, people would wonder why the hell he was allowing his company to be destroyed (by the NXT graduates) and not doing anything about it. First you argue against (non-existent) logic gaps and then you argue in favor of a logic gap. I sense a logic gap!

Originally posted by redsoxnationAlways nice to see our spiritual leader Baron. But, what happened to him learning the secret of ze claw? DR: Goddam, you gotta let me build up to it. High Spot freaks....